Shaheen, Warren Release New Investigative Report on President Trump’s Failure to Use Sanctions and Export Controls to Help End Russia’s War in Ukraine

Report outlines how Trump’s inaction has weakened U.S. leverage, enriched bad actors and emboldened Putin to keep war going

Read the full report (PDF)

WASHINGTON – Today, ahead of President Trump’s latest self-imposed deadline for Russia to end its war against Ukraine, the minority staffs of the Foreign Relations and Senate Banking Committees—led by Ranking Members Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)—released a new report detailing how the Trump Administration is failing to use core economic tools to pressure Putin and degrade Russia’s war machine.

The report finds that the Administration has not rolled out a single new sanctions or export control package aimed at Russia’s war in Ukraine in over six months, despite escalating Russian aggression and a growing wave of sanctions evasion efforts. The report outlines how this inaction has weakened U.S. leverage in negotiations, signaled to the world that pressure is off and allowed Putin to continue fueling his brutal war machine with impunity.

“President Trump inherited unprecedented sanctions and export controls on Russia, which the United States imposed and maintained together with our closest allies. That collective effort deeply undermined Russia’s war machine and the revenue that sustained it, and it gave the United States real leverage to force President Putin to the negotiating table and end his brutal war in Ukraine. Instead of using that leverage, President Trump has willfully allowed it to wither—halting enforcement, letting evaders off the hook, and signaling to the world that the U.S. won’t pressure Moscow with the proven tools at its disposal. President Trump’s recent commitment to levy sanctions on Russia and its enablers is a welcome step, but every month he’s spent in office without action has strengthened Putin’s hand, weakened ours and undermined Ukraine’s own efforts to bring an end to the war. Meanwhile, innocent Ukrainians are being killed every day. As President Trump finally wakes up to the reality of Putin’s bloody aggression and his deceptive negotiating tactics, the President and his team would do well to heed this report’s findings and cut off Russia’s ability to sustain this war,” said Ranking Member Shaheen.

“If Trump is serious about ending the war in Ukraine, he should start using the tools he already has. He keeps implying he’s ready to get tough on Russia, but instead he’s stopped key assistance to Ukraine and halted regular updates to our sanctions and export controls for six months. Sanctions are a key tool to deprive Russia of revenue for its war machine and to press for a just peace in Ukraine. But Trump has been refusing to use them—weakening our pressure campaign, enriching bad actors, and emboldening the Kremlin to keep fighting. That’s not how you pressure Putin—it’s how you let him off the hook,” said Ranking Member Warren.

The report includes four key findings:

• The Trump Administration immediately stopped taking basic sanctions and export control actions that had maintained and increased U.S. pressure. Since February 2022, the Biden Administration executed 141 rollouts of sanctions and export controls covering thousands of targets. In the more than 6 months President Trump has been in office, his Administration has done 0 rollouts.
• The Administration has further undermined Ukraine’s leverage by repeatedly signaling a lack of commitment to maintaining effective sanctions.
• The Trump Administration has failed to capitalize on an opening to drive down Russian oil revenue.
• Across agencies, Trump Administration decisions have caused concerning strain in staffing to support Russia sanctions and export controls.

The report’s conclusion describes how the Trump Administration, despite its significant missteps, can still change course through specific lines of effort to achieve the President’s stated goal of a lasting peace for Ukraine.

Read the full report HERE.

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